Freddie Mercury had as many as ten cats throughout his life, and he considered them an integral part of his household, not just pets.
He lived with several of them at his Garden Lodge mansion in London, and he was known for calling them on the phone while on tour so that his assistant could hold the receiver close to them so he could “talk” to them.
He even dedicated specific tributes to them: the album "Mr. Bad Guy" (1985) includes a special thanks to several of his cats by name, and the song "Delilah" from "Innuendo" (1991) is written entirely about one of his favorite cats.
His friends agreed that, during his final years of illness, the company of his cats brought him immense comfort, almost as important as that provided by the people closest to him.